[Major Twaha Musiitwa Mukiibi. Former Commanding Officer of UFM’s Panther Battalion that took over the protection of Kampala in 1985 and created what became to be known as Half-London. He was also a member of the UFM high command.

According to the ChimpReports newspaper, over 600 former Uganda Freedom Movement (UFM) bush war fighters’ will be honoured by president Museveni and be awarded National heroes medals at this year’s Heroes day celebrations that will take place at Ssi Trading Centre, Ssi sub-county, in Buikwe district on June 9th. ChimpReports reporter Dickens H Okello understands that President Museveni has decided to honour the UFM fighters’ and their departed commander Dr Andrew Lutaakome Kayiira in a ceremony that has been themed as “Concretising the gains of our heroes is a duty for all Ugandans”. Museveni wants to shower medals to people from Buikwe, Jinja, Mukono, Kayunga and Buvuma islands.

As a former member of the Uganda Freedom Movement (UFM) I was taken by surprise when I read this story. Museveni to give medals to and to honour the Late Dr Kayiira? Has Museveni gone mad or has he run out of friends? I could not imagine Museveni giving any recognition to Dr Kayiira and the fighters’ of the Uganda Freedom Movement (UFM). The only reason that came to my mind is that the dictator has ran out of friends and wants to play on the minds of the Baganda in a bid to gain some cheap popularity.

Before I give my reasons why this does not make any sense to many, I would like to remind those who may have forgotten and inform those who were born after 1986 that from before leaving the bush, Museveni and his NRA was hostile to Dr Kayiira and the entire UFM forces. In 1986 when the NRA arrived in Kampala where Dr Kayiira’s forces, commanded by this writer had already chased away the Gen. Lutwa forces From Mbuya, Lubiri and Makindye barracks, they embarked on a program to abase all of the forces of UFM.

On their first day in Kampala on January 26 1986, Museveni’s forces under the command of Matayo Kyaligonza locked up 39 UFM soldiers in a Uniport in Lubiri barracks who included Dr Kayiira’s body guards, shot them and threw grenades inside the uniport and burned them to a horrible death. In October 1986 over 500 UFM soldiers who were in the 35th battalion stationed near Kitgum were loaded into metal goods containers on orders of Gen. Salim Saleh. Orders that were carried out by the late NRA commander the late Sande Mukulu with the supervision of Lt. Con Fred Mwesigye and transported to Mbale. More than 400 of those UFM soldiers never made it to Mbale. They died a horrible death of suffocation. In March 1987, Museveni ordered the killing of the UFM leader Dr Kayiira.

The above incidents are just the most highlighted examples of Museveni’s savagery carried out in the name of hate towards Dr Kayiira and the UFM forces. There were many instances of barbarous practices by Museveni’s NRA towards the UFM soldiers in Mubende, in Fort Potral, in Mbarara and in Kiburara.

It has taken Museveni 30 years to recognise the important role that the Uganda Freedom Movement (UFM) and its leader Dr Kayiira played in the ousting of Dr Obote and the UPC government. However, what Ugandans would like to know is this: Why now? Is it the fact that Museveni has lost respect many of his colleagues within the NRM? Is he so desperate for support that he has no one to turn to for political support that he is now acting in desperation?

After killing the bulk of the UFM forces. After killing Dr Kayiira. After forcing the majority of the surviving members of the Uganda Freedom Movement into exile. Who is Museveni going to give these heroes medals to? Only DIMWITS could accept these medals.

I would like to remind Mr Museveni that the young men and women who constituted the Uganda Freedom Movement (UFM) never went to the bush to fight for medals. We went to the bush to fight for freedom and for the establishment of true democracy in our country. For thirty years all what Museveni has done is the eradicate Freedom of speech, the destruction of a free press, the destruction of democracy and the destruction of everything that the UFM went to the bush to fight against.

Is it the turmoil within the NRM that is pushing Museveni in the direction of his arch enemies? Museveni has fallen out with the Besigyes, the Sejusas, and many in the NRM are disgruntled with him. Is this medal splashing an act of a desperate man who has lost his sense of direction?

It will be a very interesting list of recipients of these medals especially that those receiving them will have to be from the specific afore mentioned districts. This eliminates the obvious would have been recipients such as Brigadier Hussein Adda (Arua), Col. Mark Kodili (Moyo), Col. Dick Lutaaya (Masaka).

In the photo: Major Twaha Musiitwa Mukiibi with the Panther battalion before leaving Namuyeenje near Mukono in 1985 heading to Kampala.

Most of these men and women are either dead or in exile so one wonders who the medals will be given to.

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